Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) Upgraded to “Buy” by StockNews.com

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $22.00 price objective (up previously from $20.00) on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Universal Technical Institute in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Universal Technical Institute presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $17.40.

Universal Technical Institute Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of UTI traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.86. 485,752 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 609,613. Universal Technical Institute has a 52 week low of $6.45 and a 52 week high of $17.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.40. The company has a market capitalization of $799.47 million, a P/E ratio of 41.28, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.24.

Universal Technical Institute (NYSE:UTI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.01). Universal Technical Institute had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 2.97%. The firm had revenue of $184.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.01 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Universal Technical Institute will post 0.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal Technical Institute

In other Universal Technical Institute news, Director Loretta Lydia Sanchez sold 6,288 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.22, for a total value of $95,703.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,712 shares in the company, valued at $208,696.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 27.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Washington University purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth about $35,886,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Universal Technical Institute by 297.3% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 4,629 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Universal Technical Institute in the fourth quarter worth about $949,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Universal Technical Institute by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 437,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,480,000 after acquiring an additional 11,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Universal Technical Institute during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $503,000. 75.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Technical Institute Company Profile

Universal Technical Institute, Inc provides transportation, skilled trades, and healthcare education programs in the United States. The company operates in two segments, UTI and Concorde. It offers certificate, diploma, or degree programs under various brands, such as Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology.